Senior Vatican official urges nations to ratify nuclear ban treaty: Mainichi interview
January 22, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher is seen in this November 2019 photo. (Mainichi/Hanayo Kuno) HIROSHIMA Ahead of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons going into effect on Jan. 22, the Mainichi Shimbun interviewed Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states of the Vatican the first state to ratify the treaty among 51 countries and regions that have done so. In his written response, Gallagher stated, The ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons is both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative, and called for countries that have not yet joined the treaty to ratify it.
Hiroshima ‘peace clock’ reset to 49 days following US nuclear test
January 19, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) HIROSHIMA –– A clock located in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in this western Japan city was reset from 705 to 49, indicating the number of days that have passed since the latest nuclear test took place a subcritical one carried out by the United States in November 2020.
The adjustment was made on Jan. 18, after it was revealed in a U.S. national laboratory document that a subcritical nuclear experiment was held in November under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The “Chikyu Heiwa Kanshi Dokei (Peace Watch Tower)” had previously displayed the number “705” to mark the number of days that had passed since the subcritical nuclear experiment conducted by the U.S. in February 2019. As the exact date of the latest test in November is unknown, the clock is currently set at “49 days,” under the assumption that the nuclear test was held on the
Sketching Hiroshima: US website highlights Japanese artist known for message against A-bomb
January 3, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
This Oct. 18, 2020 image shows a section explaining street posters designed by Goro Shikoku, on a special website introducing the life and works of the late Japanese artist. (Mainichi/Akihiro Nakajima) HIROSHIMA A special English website introducing the life and works of Japanese artist Goro Shikoku, who devoted himself to brazen anti-war and cultural movements in postwar Hiroshima, has been set up by a U.S. college professor. Goro Shikoku (1924-2014) is known for his illustrations and poetry on the theme of the atomic bomb. He began his career after learning that his younger brother died due to radiation from the atomic bombing after returning to Japan, barely alive, following his detainment in Siberia. The artist s hope was that a war like this will never happen ever again.